The news sheets relating the King’s surrender days after the fall of Newark in the English Civil War

Tracts are a pretty important source of information on the British Civil Wars. The ability to publish news reports and air ideas through print – often slanted towards the goals of a particularly side – is a revolutionary feature of the period.

News travelled quickly. You could read about the fall of Newark to the forces of Parliament and the Scots on the streets of London just five days after the battle. The headline “Great Fight at Newark” grabbed everyone’s attention. One writer imparted reality-softening spin by stating that the King had “consented” to the stronghold’s surrender – in reality, he had no choice.